[03/31/09 - 08:45 AM]Bravo Earns Its Highest Rated First Quarter Ever Among Adults 18-49Bravo spins the numbers for the first quarter of 2009.

[via press release from Bravo]

BRAVO EARNS ITS HIGHEST RATED FIRST QUARTER EVER AMONG ADULTS 18-49

Network Marks 14 Consecutive Quarters of Year-Over-Year Growth

NEW YORK - March 31, 2009 - Continuing its upward ratings growth, Bravo again broke network records, earning its highest rated first quarter ever in primetime among adults 18-49, and registered an impressive 14 consecutive quarters of year-over-growth in the demo, according to Nielsen Media Research. Bravo's first quarter ratings were fueled by the returning hit series "Top Chef: New York," the fourth season of "The Real Housewives of Orange County," and the sophomore seasons of "The Real Housewives of New York City," "Make Me a Supermodel" and "The Millionaire Matchmaker." The network was up versus first quarter 2008 which included "The Real Housewives of Orange County 3," "The Real Housewives of New York," "Project Runway 4," "Top Chef: Chicago," "Make Me a Supermodel" and "The Millionaire Matchmaker."

First quarter to-date, the network is averaging 473,000 adults 18-49 and ranks No. 19 on the dial among all ad supported cable entertainment networks for this coveted key demo. Bravo also posted the highest rated March in network history among total viewers (735,000). Among all cable networks, Bravo's audience was the most upscale (household income $125K+) and educated (college 4+ years) among adults 18-49 in first quarter 2009 in Prime.

Bravo Digital posted significant first quarter numbers as well, with 94 million average monthly page views, 3.27 million average monthly unique visitors and 2.3 million average monthly video streams. BravoTV.com also earned remarkable numbers, with 48 million page views, 2.2 million uniques and 2.3 million video streams. TelevisionWithoutPity.com saw record gains, with 46.3 million average monthly page views, and double digit percentage gains in uniques (18 percent, 1.16 million uniques). Season-to-date, "The Real Housewives of New York City's" microsite is outperforming season one, up 62 percent in page views, 83 percent in unique visitors and 72 percent in video streams versus season one.

Bravo's original programming saw huge gains in first quarter. "Top Chef: New York" earned its highest rated season ever, averaging 2.80 million adults 18-49 and 3.90 million total viewers, up 20 percent among adults 18-49 and 21 percent among total viewers versus the season four average. Additionally, the "Top Chef" finale was the highest rated telecast ever for the series among adults 18-49 (3.55 million) and total viewers (4.77 million).

The "Real Housewives" franchise continues to soar, with season four of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" earning its highest rated season ever across all key demos, averaging 1.62 million adults18-49 and 2.17 million total viewers. Versus the prior season, the series was up 40 percent among adults 18-49 (vs. 1.16 million) and up 45 percent among total viewers (vs. 1.498 million). Season to-date, 'The Real Housewives of New York City" is averaging 1.27 million adults 18-49 and 1.74 million total viewers, up 44 percent (vs. 878,000) and 46 percent (vs. 1.19 million) respectively versus its freshman season-to-date average. Additionally, season two of "The Millionaire Matchmaker" is also outperforming its first season, averaging 719,000 adults 18-49 and 989,000 total viewers season-to-date.

Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been an NBC Universal cable network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com.